Mistletoe
by Mor'DuTheBronyBear
Summary: Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye are too nervous to admit their feelings for one another, but a bit of mistletoe does the trick one winter day. Royai. Merry Christmas!


**This was written as a Christmas present for my best friend Baylee. I couldn't function without that girl, and I hope she realizes how awesome she is. Hope you like this, bruh!**

**To everyone else, I also hope you like it. This is my first attempt at Royai, and criticism of any and all kinds is greatly appreciated.**

**The setting for this is a few years after the end of Brotherhood. Ed and Al are in their twenties.  
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Snow fell softly outside on that cold winter night, but it was toasty warm in the lively break room. It was the annual Christmas party at Central command, and everyone was there; even Edward and Alphonse, despite the fact that Ed wasn't a party person.

Roy Mustang held a luke-warm cup of cocoa as he sat at a nearby table that was fairly isolated from the rest of the party, listening to the happy conversations and occasional laughs from all the other military personnel. The raven haired man wasn't as social as everyone else, but he spoke when he was spoken to and enjoyed the overall pleasant atmosphere. There was one person, however, that he would he would gladly leave his isolation for.

Riza Hawkeye was talking and laughing with Jean Havoc, reminiscing about old times from the military academy when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Roy, alone with his hot cocoa. Excusing herself from the conversation, the lieutenant walked over to her commanding officer, her blue military jacket draped over her arm, showing off her white T-shirt that was normally hidden underneath.

"Hello, sir," she said with a smile as she took a seat in the chair across from the man. Roy smiled in return, saying, "Hello, lieutenant." He sipped some of his cocoa before grimacing. "It's not even hot anymore," he mumbled. He rose from his chair, pushing it under the table, the wooden legs making a scraping sound against the tile floor. "Care to join me in getting another mug?"

She nodded, tagging along behind him as Roy led the way. Riza couldn't help but admire Roy's broad shoulders and the way he walked that brought his height to her attention. He was about a whole head taller than she was, but she didn't mind. She actually preferred taller men, anyway. The blonde shook her head, though, not allowing those thoughts to stay very long. Riza knew as well as anyone that, no matter if the colonel felt the same, a relationship between them would only end in disaster. People that worked together should never be together in that way.

The two got their cocoa and returned to the table, silence falling between them as they drank. Riza's sharp eyes scanned the room, her gaze flitting back to the colonel in front of her every once and a while. Suddenly, a ruckus arose from the crowd of people in the center of the room, making Roy and Riza place their mugs down on the oak table and look.

Roy put a hand over his mouth to stifle a chuckle when he spotted none other than Edward and one of the new recruits, Alexia, kissing under the mistletoe that hung from the doorway to the break room. Riza's eyes widened.

"Sir, is that...?"

"Yes, it is," Mustang answered her. The colonel and his lieutenant grinned at each other like they were two excited school children, Roy mumbling, "I knew Fullmetal would hit puberty some day."

Riza chuckled and sipped some more hot chocolate. Her mind conjured up vivid pictures of Roy doing the same with her, and an intense blush spread across her cheeks at the thought. Roy raised an eyebrow at the blush, but didn't ask about it. He saw Riza blush often throughout the day for no reason he could understand. Women were complicated.

After the initial fuss was over, people returned to their conversations and Ed and Alexia, hand in hand, started to leave the room, but not before Mustang could yell, "Be sure to use protection, Fullmetal!"

Ed's eyes flashed dangerously, clenching his fist tightly to vent his anger, Alexia blushing madly. "Shut the hell up, bastard!" Ed spat, stomping out the door while Alexia tried to calm him down.

Mustang chuckled to himself, leaning back in the chair with a lazy smile. Riza made a "tsk tsk" sound as she shook her head. "Was that necessary, sir?"

Roy's smile widened into a goofy grin. "Yes, it was."

The rest of the night was rather uneventful for the colonel and his subordinate. They drank and talked and laughed occasionally, but eventually the clock struck 11:00, and the next day was another work day.

As Roy pushed his chair under the table and stretched with a groan, Riza bid him good night with a smile and slipped her jacket back on, leaving Roy alone in the quiet break room. The tired man walked to the light switch, the thudding of his boots cutting through the almost eerie quiet. Just before he flipped the switch, though, he gave the mistletoe over the doorway one last longing glance. He would never say it, but he would've given anything to have kissed Riza under that mistletoe. He sighed heavily, turning the lights off and shutting the door to the break room before going out into the freezing night air, frigid snowflakes falling onto his face and hair. His work boots crunched the snow beneath his feet as he walked and he hugged his coat a little closer around him.

"I hope Hawkeye is home by now. No one should be out in this cold," he mumbled to himself. It didn't take very long to reach his apartment; he lived in the swankier end of town, in the military district, or course. Roy unlocked the door and walked inside to the welcoming warmth, kicking his boots off and hanging his leather coat in the closet.

After a hot shower, the exhausted colonel was out cold as soon as his head hit the pillow.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The next morning, Edward walked into Roy's office, footsteps heavy and slow, his bangs hanging in his face. He was obviously exhausted, and the older man shot him a confused glance.

"You look like hell, Fullmetal. Long night with Alexia?" he said in a teasing tone.

Ed just mumbled something incoherent and grabbed his paperwork, leaving to go to his own office. Roy chuckled a little, but his good mood faded when he looked over to the clock on the wall; it was 8:30, and Riza was normally there by then.

Soon, though, Roy looked up from his paperwork when the door clicked as it opened, the lieutenant hanging her jacket on the rack and taking a seat at her desk. She looked quite tired, dark circles under eyes and her movements unusually sluggish.

"Good morning, lieutenant," Mustang murmured as he usually did. Riza just made a small sound of acknowledgment, sighing as she read over some papers on her desk. Roy frowned a little; something was obviously the matter.

"Are you alright, Riza?" he asked, seeing her blush for some reason. "Yes, sir," she answered quietly, yawning afterwords. Mustang rolled over to her desk in his rolling chair, propping an elbow up on her desk with a small smile. "Well, then, why are you absolutely exhausted?"

Riza put down the stack of papers in her hands, tossing her bangs out of her face as she replied quietly, "With all due respect, sir, that is none of your business."

Narrowing his eyes, Roy went back to his own desk, still confused about her behavior.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A lunch time, Roy wasn't very hungry, so he went to the break room and sat by himself at the same table he and Riza had sat at the night before. The mistletoe hanging from the doorway still taunted him, and he sighed heavily, resting his head on his arms, raven hair falling into his face and blocking his vision. The man wouldn't have known the lieutenant had entered the room had he not heard the thud of her boots on the tile.

She took a seat in front of him, observing his hunched form. "Colonel, are you alright?" she asked quietly.

Roy made a small grunt and burrowed his head deeper in his arms, never opening his eyes. "If I told you my problem, you'd just laugh," he told the woman.

Riza frowned a little. "Sir, I can assure you that I won't find your misery amusing. Will you tell me?"

The colonel raised his head and looked at Riza. "I'm not the one with the problem, anyway." He leaned back casually in the chair, crossing his arms. "Tell you what," he started in lazy drawl, "If you'll tell me what's wrong with you, I'll share my own little dilemma."

Once again, Riza blushed, but she held her composure. "Colonel, if I tell you my own problem..." She broke off with a sigh. "Things will never be the same between you and I."

Suddenly, Roy rose from his chair and took Riza by the hand. Her eyes widened at the gloved hand grasping her own, but she remained silent as Roy led her to the doorway. Riza spotted the mistletoe and started to shake a little with nervousness, while Roy seemed determined, yet not immune to his share of anxiety. Both the colonel and his lieutenant knew how to keep their cool in most situations, but that moment was very different than most situations.

Roy looked down at the lieutenant once they were in the doorway. Without another word, he leaned down and his lips met hers in a soft kiss. Riza closed her eyes as her cheeks heated quickly, kissing the colonel back. The tension could be cut with a knife; both the colonel and his subordinate were extremely aware of how awkward it was. They parted after a few moments, both of their eyes wide and faces flushed. Roy coughed to clear the awkward silence. "Well, I better get back to work," he mumbled, walking out of the break room quickly. Riza remained in a daze until Breda walked by and saw her frozen.

"Hawkeye? You alright?"

She shook her head vigorously, looking at Breda with wide eyes. "Y-yeah! Fine!" She practically ran away, but when she reached the door to the office, she gulped. Roy was in there.

"This is going to be a long day," she whispered to herself as she pushed open the door.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

That night, Roy laid on his couch, his shirtless upper body and sweatpant-clad legs under a blanket as he watched a sappy Christmas movie, the only thing he could find on. He sighed when he watched the couple kiss under mistletoe and he blushed despite himself.

"I just hope Riza doesn't hate me," he mumbled. As if on cue, his doorbell sounded through the quiet apartment.  
>He groaned as he uncovered himself, not bothering to put on a shirt as he walked slowly to the door and opened it, wincing at the cold air hitting his skin.<p>

Riza smiled a little and tried her best to ignore Roy's attractive bare skin. "Hello, sir." Roy blinked in surprise but smiled as well, saying, "Please come in. I'll get you some coffee."

The woman hurried inside, Roy taking her coat and hanging it on the metal rack near the door. He went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, asking, "So, what brings you here, lieutenant?"

Riza took a seat in an armchair near the couch and stared at the floor as she spoke. "I would think it would be obvious, sir," she told him.

Roy returned to the living room with two mugs of coffee, one with lots of sugar for him and the other pure black for Riza. She took the mug and sipped some, letting the drink calm her nerves a little.

Roy sat on the couch, turning the television off and facing her. "I suppose I know why. It's about the break room, correct?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath before she spoke. "I'm just... confused, Roy," she said softly.

Roy patted the cushion next to him with a small smile, and she moved over next to him, putting her mug on the coffee table. The man couldn't help but admire how pretty she looked in civilian attire, a black turtle neck sweater hugging her body and a pair of skinny jeans tucked down into her boots that came up mid-calf, and he told her so.

"You look nice," he said softly, smiling at her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile and a slight blush. The blonde looked more comfortable in the raven's apartment as time went by.

"Well," Roy began, "I guess you deserve to know what's going through my mind." Riza chuckled. "If you can even understand your own thoughts, Colonel." He took her small hands in his larger ones and sighed a little. "The truth is, Riza," he said softly, "I have strong feelings for you, particularly of the romantic sort."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" she asked quietly. The colonel nodded and smiled at her. "And what about you?" He looked into her beautiful eyes. "How do you feel about me, Riza?"

She leaned her head against Roy's shoulder, enjoying the warmth of his skin. "I have feelings for you as well, Roy," she told the man. Her heart was beating rapidly and she desperately hoped that he would take the news well.

Roy took a chance and kissed the top of her head. "I knew it," he said with a happy sigh. "I was just too afraid to approach you about it." Riza lifted her head to look at Roy. "Why were you afraid?"

He looked at the carpeted floor and his cheeks reddened a little. "I was afraid of what you would think, afraid of rejection," he admitted in a whisper. Riza just shook her head and kissed Roy's cheek softly. "Roy, I would never reject you." He smiled back. "What should we do, then? I want to be with you," he told Riza. The blonde's eyes softened at Roy's words, replying, "I do too. We'll have to keep it a secret, Roy. We're both military personnel. It's against the rules."

The man nodded and hugged Riza close. "If it means that I can be with you, I'll keep my mouth shut," he murmured, brushing his lips against hers gently. Riza closed her eyes and kissed Roy. It was very similar to the kiss they shared beneath the mistletoe, except this time, there was no anxiety, no embarrassment. There was only love between the colonel and his lieutenant, and that's how it would forever stay. 


End file.
